Crowding and Territoriality
Crowding has been spoken of as "spatial invasion." All of us have experienced it, ranging from the lack of breathing room to the physical discomfort of close contact. Each of us tries to regulate his or her closeness to other people, and in mar.y cases we can. When we have little or no control over the space surrounding us, we feel closed in and often react in ways to protect what we regard as our territory. Hence, the concept of territoriality-an area of space over which humans, and some animals, establish a sense of possession.
On a public conveyance we choose to sit with a friend, but we may take an empty seat if only strangers are present. Territoriality involves space, to be sure, but it also includes what we like to have within that space; friends are a part of our territory, but strangers are not. Events are related to territoriality. At parties, dances, and spectator sports we may not feel territory has been invaded even though spatially we come in close contact with others. How we express feelings or keep them to ourselves is determined by the occasion. In a crowded stadium at an athletic event we shout and show degrees of aggressiveness that would be frowned on in other settings. We behave in an opposite manner at a musical concert; we enjoy the private inner feelings which are enhanced by a closely packed audience. In both of these situations we have a measure of control over the occasion. At least we know what to expect in the stadium and in the concert hall. Crowding becomes unpleasant when it is beyond our control.
Most of us have limited choices as to where we live and work. Even with money and social status we may not have all the spatial freedom we would like. In most high-density areas it is difficult to create' a life-style that balances the positive aspects of urban work with free-space living. We may live in the city and have a second home in the country, but getting from one to the other often means using crowded highways. If we spend too much time seeking our "tonic of wildness," we may miss some of the positive aspects of urban life. The search for a balanced life-style often means becoming realistic about compromise:The relation between man and his environment turns on psychological as well as physical things. As we seek out a physical environment to achieve our goals, we must ofterr seek sub goals first in order to achieve primary ones. To achieve solitude, we must find the right time as well as the right place.
Territoriality for the human involves "mineness"-my property, my space, my time, my choice. Only up to a point can we protect our given territory, In this respect we humans may perceive our own situation better by observing our animal friends.
Territoriality In Animals
Just as people come together voluntarily in artists' colonies, college communities, and selected living areas, so do many animals come together in social groupings. And, like some people who become entrapped in a given spatial area, animals find themselves in ter· ritories to which they lay claim. Like some humans, the animal who feels a given space to be his decides whom he will allow to share it. A squirrel, for example, will tolerate a mouse in his territory, but may try to keep some other animal out. Both animals and humans defend their "psychological territory," which is something more than a specified area of earth, water, or air. Some animals compete for mates and man is no less subtle; a woman asserts that a certain man is hers. Animals, like man, may ignore NO TRESPASSING signs. The lion pays little heed to territorial rights anywhere in the jungle. Some naturalists state that the songs of birds at dawn are not primarily music, or invitations to mate, but basically warnings from one male to another to stay out of his territory. "i can protect my territory," says the skunk as he releases his unique sign of ownership, Yet, animal territory, like that of humans, can be invaded. Some ants play both defensive and aggressive games. Some species make war and even practice slavery whereby they use a form of "chemical propaganda." The slavemaker ants typically attack the nestof a closely related species. The defend· ing workers are killed or driven off; the nest is invaded and the worker pupae are carried off. When the pupae mature, they become slaves in their new home.
Territoriality relates to problems in communication. The boy-girl engagement follows. a sequential pattern of communication. The whale has evolved a social organization that stands at the pinnacle of life in the sea and his survival hinges on long-range communication. Whales produce a wide range of vocal signals which men have yet to completely decode. Low-frequency sounds have been measured to pulsate outwards for hundreds of mUes enabling whales to find each other. Interestingly pollution in the ocean has been found to disrupt whale (and other sea animal) frequency signals, thus reducing mating possibilities. Even the bond between parent and young has been found to be snapped by pollution toxins, leaving the young to be preyed on ipstead of cared for.
Migration and Space
Even migrating iand animals maintain territorial range. Chimpanzees, gorillas. and other apes do not wander without some limits. Starlings that migrate widely come together in trees at night. Like man, animals have a home that takes on a special meaning of privacy. The friendly dog, which plays with its dog friend in the street, may become very possessive, even aggressive, when that dog enters "his" house. The compulsive urination of male dogs is said tl) be a way of staking out their territory, much as the library user puts a book on the table and the diner in the college cafeteria leaves some property (not worth losing!) in some staked-out eating space. The diner may even leave his lunch on his tray when he is forced to sit at a table filled with dirty dishes. He pushes them aside, letting the tray form a psychological barrier for his c0mfort in eating.
Space becomes a status symbol for animals just as it does forman. The size of the physical area around an animal that belongs to him alone is one indicator of the animal's social status within a group. Animals show a spatial hierarchy of status. For example, in a study of a flock of geese, the dominant bird tends to remain in the center of the flock, with the most important geese closest to him. The farther away from the center, the lower the animals rank. But in animals, as in man, the distribution of space is seldom uniform. Both seem to operate within some self-determined rules comparable to the way man sets up some of his spacing rules. A given environment helps to determine how closely we can approach neighbors, acquaintances, or strangers. ~ut enough crowding can break down the rules.
